HARRISBURG, PA (May 10, 2013) – With Mother’s Day this Sunday, the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center and Public Citizens for Children and Youth are highlighting new research showing just how many moms in Pennsylvania rely on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC).

The federal tax credits benefit 670,000 working moms in the Keystone state. The 2013 Mother’s Day Report also shows that the EITC and CTC lifted nearly 118,000 Pennsylvania children out of poverty annually between 2009 and 2011. Read more.

“These tax credits are powerful tools that promote work and strengthen Pennsylvania families, helping thousands of them pay for basic needs like putting food on the table for their kids,” said Donna Cooper, executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth.

“This report is an important reminder that we have a lot at stake, and we’re working very hard to see that Congress doesn’t hurt Pennsylvania families by cutting these tax credits in the months ahead,” added Sharon Ward, director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center.

To benefit from the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) a family must be working. The 2013 Mother’s Day Report notes that the EITC increases employment and reduces poverty among families with children, particularly single-mother families.

The report also notes that cuts to either tax credit would increase poverty, harm mothers and hurt America’s economy.

For example, a single mother with two children who works full time at minimum wage and earns $14,500 per year currently receives $1,725 from the CTC. Without improvements to the tax credit that were made in 2009, she would receive just $165.

The U.S. Senate recently introduced the Working Families Tax Relief Act, which makes permanent the 2009 improvements to both tax credits.